Essence of Living

Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

Seven days of nothing other than soup, juice, herbal teas and Monavie and I feel fabulous 😮

I lost 1.5 kilograms and Im feeling light and bright! To be honest it really wasn’t hard as I didn’t limit myself with how much I could consume. I especially enjoyed a lot of pumpkin soup and super smoothies! There is something empowering that happens when you set and achieve a small goal. It strengthens your focus, cultivates deeper discipline and boosts your confidence.

I want to also congradulate my friends who joined me on the fast; Libby, Maddy, Randy and Taryn you are awesome xxx

I was totally exhausted when I left home for Bali, I had worked for over 6 weeks without a single day off and was really worn out. My problem is that I totally love what I do so much that I struggle to say no when opportunities arise and people are in need.

Life is about balance I totally agree but it is also about passion! When you find a passion and a purpose in life and realize you can work on growing and developing it you can’t help but invest your time and energy. That’s why I’m constantly traveling, learning and exploring my craft from teachers and peers alike.

My husband asks me when will it be enough, haven’t I already learn t enough? My response is “How could that be possible when my profession Hatha Yoga is over 2500 years old! I will never have enough time even if I studied 24/7 for the rest of my life.”

I just slept 15 hours straight without any interruption and feel a lot better. I’m definitely going to make some changes when I get back to be more balanced but as Buddha said ~ Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. ~

I arrived in Bali today for the Bali Spirit Yoga Festival and its so hot I have sweat dripping down my legs as I sit here at the internet café!

I’m so excited to practice with Shiva Rea and Duncan Wung as they are some of the worlds most renowned and respected Yoga gurus. I promise to come home and share all of my new tricks and tips to my amazing students…. so get excited!

It’s been just over a year since I have been to this magical island and I forgot just how amazingly friendly these people are, it blows me away. They will do anything for you! For example today I was walking around sweating profusely with my luggage as I didn’t book a hotel (silly me) and got a little lost as my driver dropped me off in shopping central. So I asked a local where the hotels were and he said “Jump on my motorbike and I will take you.” Saved!

As he drove off I discovered that the hotel he dropped me at was full and a then another angel arrived, I felt like I had been blessed by the Balinese gods! He also offered me to jump on his motorbike and took me and my luggage to different hotel! Both trips were totally free and with the biggest smile ever 😮

I have to admit I have a soft spot for the Balinese people and their culture. I even dated a very nice Balinese guy Satria for a few months before meeting my husband Matt.

I really believe in living angels that support and help each other in times of need. The other day I experienced this first hand with all my amazing teachers binding together to get the job done.

I had woken up with a headache and thought I would be fine but after a series of mishaps my headache had turned into an off the chart migraine. Earlier during the day one of my teachers car had broken down so I had to pick her up between my first two clients and lend her my car so she could teach my community class in Carrara.

We arrived back at the studio for my third private with 10 minutes to spare finding out no one turned up to cover Hollies class whilst she was in New Zealand and my sensational sister covered it last-minute. These hiccups didn’t help my headache and after my third private I had to write a sponsorship proposal which was terribly difficult when my head was spinning, so my angel assistant Radha finished it for me so I could get to my next class.

Luckily my beloved teacher trainers Anne and Brigetta were catching a ride out with me to All Saints Anglican School for my kids class to observe and on the way I desperately asked them to teach as my headache was now a ripping migraine. I then found myself crying in the sick bay with all the other sick school kids till they finished. During this time I called Erin another fabulous teacher to cover my afternoon class so I could go home rest, rejuvenate and recharge.

When I moved into with my now husband and his two boys a year and a half ago I have to admit I felt like I was the odd one out living in a house designed for boys; meaning no female touch as far as the eye could see. I didn’t want to move in and start taking over the space.

Times have changed and I really want to turn our house into a home. My fabulously creative sister Clare is helping me with the design and decoration as she is an interior designer with an amazing vision and eye for detail.

I want my home to be a sanctuary, a place where I can come home after a long day at work and be inspired by amazing art, furniture and fabric. I think they call it nesting and I’m ready to build my nest for my new life and family.

In yoga philosophy they suggest to surround yourself and your spirit with uplifting people, pictures, music, art and books. Fill your home with things that make your feel inspired and light-hearted.

I have definitely learnt a lot from running my business and like everyone I have had my share of ups and downs.

A lot of opportunities offered to me via my website and I have had some amazing experiences that not only I have enjoyed but many of my staff also. When I received an email from Dubai asking me to train 12 girls for 2 weeks it really didn’t seem unusual.

I was given credit card numbers and a 50% deposit to secure the girls places and once the amount cleared I was then asked to take a further $2500 for their agents fee and to then Western Union the money to him in the UK. Once the extra money cleared I figured withdrawing the sum and sending it would be fine as I had already been paid 50% of my fee and couldn’t believe anyone would deposit such a large sum of money that couldn’t be trusted.

He then asked if he could pay me in full and take a further $5000 from the credit card for the agent. The funds didn’t clear and I didn’t feel comfortable with the process. He offered another credit card but my accounts manager said don’t do it. So I explained I couldn’t go ahead with the transaction and was happy to wait till after the girls arrived. He then said he couldn’t send the girls over.

I rang Westpac fraud and explained my case and they believed it was a 99% chance fraud and stolen credit cards and that I could expect the money to be taken from my account at anytime with in the next 6 months. I couldn’t believe that people could be so cunning and deceitful. I am very grateful for this experience however as I have learnt a lot and I’m happy that it’s not going to break me like I know these situations have done to many other businesses.

Life is never what I imagined it to be. As a fresh step mum and everything that goes with it life is definitely not simple! I find the most challenging aspect the fact that I have no control over my new life. I now find my life dictated by so many variables such as when I have holidays, when I can work in relation to school runs and when we have the kids to mention a few.

The biggest lesson I have learnt through this process is that the only thing in life I can control is my emotions, reactions, mind and attitude. Life only presents us with the lessons we are ready to learn and I thank god for my yoga practice as everyday I just breathe in…… and breathe out!